Despite announcements suggesting that EMI has committed itself to the Super Audio CD high-definition audio disc format, a press release from EMI Music Distribution last month suggests that instead, the label is concentrating initially on the competing DVD-Audio format.

EMI is planning what Richard Cottrell, EMI Music Distribution's President, called "a full slate of DVD-Audio titles", according to the release. "We are excited to build sales for our artists and retail by opening our wonderful catalog to this new music format," he went on.

The first three releases, scheduled for December, are Al Green's "Greatest Hits", Eric Johnson's "Ah Via Musicom", and Leon Russell's "Retrospective". The discs will be authored and pressed by Panasonic. Other significant releases from the various EMI group catalogs are to be issued over subsequent months. EMI's Virgin Records label has already released DVD-A titles, notably Blue Man Group's "Audio": they have also tested the water with an SACD version of Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells" - both have been reviewed by Audio Revolution